Page 4416 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 19 November 1991
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It is a pity, in particular, that Mr Berry is not here to take part in this debate. It is, of course, his own fault that he is not here and I am not about to let him out of gaol just yet; he has another 15 minutes or so in the sin bin. I am sure he will have plenty to say when he gets back here.
The contemptuous attitude which this Government has shown towards the Estimates Committee was exhibited in two ways in particular. I recall, for example, that Mr Connolly faced considerable difficulties in the previous sitting week due to comments that he had made to the Estimates Committee concerning day care for children. I will not go back over that ground; but it certainly indicated, at least in the minds of some members of this Assembly, a regrettable attitude towards the Estimates Committee and its work. I, of course, have more interest in the comments of Mr Berry and his attitude towards the process of debate in the Estimates Committee.
I think, Mr Speaker, that the words used in the Estimates Committee report are very strong and should not be lost on this Government. Those words, and I quote them from paragraph 3.48, are:
The Committee was concerned that in this area -
that is, monthly reports in the area of health -
where considerable financial problems have been identified in successive years, the Minister for Health chose to avoid answering direct questions on the financial control and management of the health budget. The use of such "stonewalling" tactics makes the work of the Committee almost nugatory.
Those are exceedingly strong words, Mr Speaker. He chose to avoid answering direct questions on the financial control and management of the health budget.
Mr Collaery: And Bruce.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed, and many other areas. I mention only an area of particular concern to me. The fact of life is, Mr Speaker, that we have faced extreme difficulties in the area of health - goodness knows I can say that in this place - and we are entitled, as an Assembly, because of that, to know what is going on in health, even if the Minister does not. That is the point of that comment in the Estimates Committee report. It is the point of the questions that were asked of the Minister in the Estimates Committee and which were, as the report clearly shows, simply not answered, either because the Minister chose not to answer them from a political point of view or because he was not able to answer them.
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